Automatically closing receptacle



March 26, 1935. c M D. WOOD AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING REGEPTACLE Filed March 7, 1932 INVENTOR. 6ND w/q/vf Wood H/S ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 26, 1935 all the AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING nso'nemors l o M Dwight Wood, Howell, Mich. Y Application March 7, 193 2, SerialNo. 597,211

Claims.

This invention relates to receptacles from which the contents are expelled by the application of pressure to the wall thereof, and more particularly to means for automatically closing such receptacles when the pressure on the wall thereof is released;

The present invention is especially adapted for use in combination with containers for semi-fluid and jellylilre solids, such astooth paste, shaving cream, Vaseline and similar products, all of which may be stored in flexible containersand which may be expelled therefrom'by the application of pressure to the wall of the container. Heretofore flexible containers for such substances as tooth paste, shaving cream and the. like have been provided-with a relatively rigid neck portion having an openingtherethrough upon which is threaded a cap or closure member. Inasmuch as substantially all of. the semi-fluids marketed in suchcontainers tend tosolidify upon exposure to. the air, it is essential that the containers there-- for be kept closed when not in use. The conventional screw cap used with such containers is usually of such a size that it is very easilylost or misplaced with the result that thereafter the contents of the-container become solidified and unfit for. use.

Various expedients have been used heretofore for preventing the loss of the cap or closure members for such containers, none of which have been Perhaps very satisfactoryfor'several reasons. the most common means heretofore utilized. for

securing such caps to the container with which they are used consists of fastening the cap to the neck of the container by means of aflexible wire or similar device. Withsuch securing means it frequently happens that the wire itself or the container becomes distorted during use so that considerable difi'iculty is experienced in threading the cap on to the neck of the container because of the restraining influence of the securing wire or similar device.

The present invention contemplates doing away entirely with the conventional cap or closure member which is threaded on to the neck of containers of the character here under consideration, and to use in the place thereof a plunger or stopper device contained within the neck of the container. The plunger or stopper is resiliently held in position to close the opening in the neck whereby to prevent both the admission of air to the contents of the container and the escape of the contents. It is so designed that when pressure is applied to the flexible container the contents thereof are forced against the plunger and the timate contact.

resilient retaining means is flexed sufficiently to permit the contents of the container to-be ex-' pelled. As soon as the pressure on the container is released the resilient means returns the plunger to the closed position. 5

For a better understanding of the invention reference may now be had to the accompanying drawing, in which: v

Fig. 1 is a partial side View in elevation'ofa flexible container with parts broken away to illustrate the automatic closure'mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the structure shown inFig. 1; v

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the plunger retaining member shown in cross section in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is atop plan view of the structure shown inFig.3; r

Fig. 5 is a side view in elevation of the plunger illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a topplan view of the plunger; and

Fig. 7 is a partial side View in elevation of a container with parts broken away illustratinga modified form of automatic closing mechanism.

The present invention, as herein shown, is embodied in a substantially cylindrical-flexible container 10 having a relatively rigid and substan tially cylindrical neck portion l-l'provided' with a rectangularopening 12 in the-top thereof. A cylindrical plunger retaining member l i havinganexternal circumference substantially equal to the internal circumference ofthe neck portion 11 is fitted into the neck with theadjacent-walls of the neck and plunger retaining member in in- A centrally. disposed recess or well 15 is formed in the upper surface of the member 14 and registers .with the opening 12 in the top of the neck 11. A pair of grooves 16 and 17 formed in the opposite sides ofthe-member 14 and connected with a similar. groove 18 formed in the upper surface of the member 14. The plunger retaining member 14 is positioned within the neck 11 of the container 10 in a manner whereby the grooves 16, 1'7 and 18 lie in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal plane of the opening 12. erably equal in width to the length of the opening 12.

The plunger 19 having a cylindrical base provided with a recess 20 therein is fitted into the well or recess 15 formed. in the upper surface of 50 the plunger retaining member 14. The diameter of the cylindrical base of the plunger 19 is slightly less than the diameter of the recess 15 whereby the plunger may be readily oscillatedwithin the recess 15. The plunger is provided at its upper The grooves 16, 17 and 18 areprefextremity with an elongated tip 21 of suitable design to effectively close the opening 12 when pressed into engagement therewith. The upper portion of the plunger 19 is tapered or curved away from the tip 21 at an angle, preferably less than 45 from the horizontal, for a reason which will appear presently.

A coil compression spring 22 is positioned within the recess 15 having one extremity in contact with the bottom of the recess and the other extremity fitted into the recess 20. formed in the base of the plunger 19. The spring 22 is under sufficient compression to normally force the tip 21 of the plunger 19 into snug engagement with that portion of the neck 11 which defines the opening 12.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that upon applying pressure to the side wall of the flexible container 10 the semi-fluid contents thereof will be forced upwardly through the channels 16 and 17, and horizontally through the channel 18 and will press against the curved or tapered wall of the upper extremity of the plunger l9. This wall is so curved or tapered that the lateral pressure from the semi-fluid contents of the container 10 will exert a downward component of force against the plunger whereby the plunger is forced against the compression of the spring 22 and away from the opening 12. In

this manner the contents of the container 10 may be expelled therefrom by applying pressure to the wall thereof. As soon as the pressure is released the compression spring 22 forces the plunger 19 back into position as a closure forthe opening 12..

A modified form of closure mechanism is shown in Fig. 7. In this modification the relatively rigid neck portion 11 secured to the flexible container 10 is provided with an opening 23 in the side thereof. An inverted plunger 24 is fitted into the neck 11 and normally held in position to close the opening 23 by, means of a coil compression spring 25 encircling a guide pin 26 formed integrally with the plunger 24 andpositioned between the upper surface of the plunger and the inners urface of the upper extremity of the neck 11. When pressure is applied to'the wall of the flexible container 10 the semi-fluid contents thereof'press against the head of the plunger 24 and force the plunger against the compression of thespring 25 and permit the contents to escape through the opening 23. When the pressure on the-wall ofthe container 10 is released the com-' pression ofthe spring 25 causes the plunger to again resume-the position shown in Figure 7 whereby to close the opening 23. v

.While only specific embodiments of the present invention have been herein shown and described for the purpose of illustration it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but is co-extensive with the scope of the appended, claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatically closing receptacle comprising a flexible container having a relatively rigid neck portion provided with an opening therein, a retaining member disposed within the neck, said retaining member being provided with a central recess in alignment with the aforesaid opening and having a groove formed in the side and top thereof whereby a channel passageway is provided from the interior of the container to the opening in the neck, a closure member disposed within the recess in the retainer member and adapted to close the opening in the neck, and resilient means for holding the said member in closed position.

2. An automatically closing receptacle comprising a flexible container having a neck portion provided with an opening therein, a retaining member disposed within the neck, said retaining member being provided with a recess in alignment with the aforesaid opening, a groove provided adjacent the top of said member including means forming a continuation of the groove'of a character whereby to provide a passageway extending from .the interior of the container to the opening in the neck, and a closure member operatively disposed within the recess in the retainer member and adapted to close the opening in the neck.

3. A receptacle as set forth in claim 2 inwhich resilient means are provided for holding the said closure member in a closed position.

4. An automatically closing receptacle comprising a container of a. character to be compressed having a relatively rigid neck portion provided with a slot at the end thereof, a retaining member permanently secured within the neck, said retaining member being provided with a central'recess in alignment with the aforesaid slot and having a plurality of grooves formed in the lateral surface thereof and one along the top whereby a passageway is provided from the interior of the container to the slot in the neck, and a closure member having a portion thereof disposed within the recess in the retainer member and an elongated portion projecting therefrom to normally extend through and close the slot provided in the said neck.

5. A receptacle as set forth in claim 4 in which resilientmeans are provided for holding the projecting portion of said closure member in a position whereby to close the slot provided in the said neck.

C M DWIGHT WOOD. 

